The 2024 Major League Baseball season is a seven-month marathon that gets underway at the end of March and – if all goes according to plan for some of the league’s top teams – runs through the end of October.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are among the favorites after spending more than $1 billion on free agents Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the offseason. Two of the six USA TODAY Sports baseball experts surveyed picked the Dodgers to win the World Series and two more picked Atlanta, with the San Diego Padres and Baltimore Orioles also receiving a vote.
Here’s how USA TODAY Sports’ MLB experts see the 2024 season playing out:
AL East predictions
Bob Nightengale: Orioles
Gabe Lacques: Orioles
Steve Gardner: Orioles
Scott Boeck: Blue Jays
Jesse Yomtov: Orioles
Stephen Borelli: Orioles
MLB SALARIES: Baseball’s top 25 highest-paid players in 2024
AL Central predictions
Nightengale: Twins
Lacques: Guardians
Gardner: Twins
Boeck: Twins
Yomtov: Twins
Borelli: Guardians
AL West predictions
Nightengale: Astros
Lacques: Mariners
Gardner: Mariners
Boeck: Astros
Yomtov: Astros
Borelli: Rangers
American League wild cards
Nightengale: Yankees, Mariners, Blue Jays
Lacques: Blue Jays, Rays, Astros
Gardner: Astros, Blue Jays, Rangers
Boeck: Orioles, Rangers, Mariners
Yomtov: Yankees, Rangers, Mariners
Borelli: Yankees, Astros, Mariners
NL East predictions
Nightengale: Atlanta
Lacques: Atlanta
Gardner: Atlanta
Boeck: Atlanta
Yomtov: Atlanta
Borelli: Atlanta
NL Central predictions
Nightengale: Reds
Lacques: Reds
Gardner: Cardinals
Boeck: Reds
Yomtov: Brewers
Borelli: Cubs
NL West predictions
Nightengale: Dodgers
Lacques: Dodgers
Gardner: Dodgers
Boeck: Dodgers
Yomtov: Dodgers
Borelli: Dodgers
NL wild cards
Nightengale: Phillies, Diamondbacks, Cubs
Lacques: Phillies, Padres, Cubs
Gardner: Phillies, Diamondbacks, Cubs
Boeck: Padres, Phillies, Cubs
Yomtov: Phillies, Cardinals, Cubs
Borelli: Phillies, Diamondbacks, Reds
World Series 2024 predictions
Nightengale: Orioles over Atlanta
Lacques: Atlanta over Mariners
Gardner: Dodgers over Mariners
Boeck: Padres over Astros
Yomtov: Atlanta over Texas
Borelli: Dodgers over Orioles
AL MVP predictions
Nightengale: Alex Bregman, Astros
Lacques: José Ramírez, Guardians
Gardner: Julio Rodriguez, Mariners
Boeck: Juan Soto, Yankees
Yomtov: Adley Rutschman, Orioles
Borelli: Julio Rodriguez, Mariners
AL Cy Young predictions
Nightengale: Luis Castillo, Mariners
Lacques: Corbin Burnes, Orioles
Gardner: Tarik Skubal, Tigers
Boeck: Kevin Gausman, Blue Jays
Yomtov: Luis Castillo, Mariners
Borelli: Tanner Bibee, Guardians
AL Rookie of the Year predictions
Nightengale: Jackson Holliday, Orioles
Lacques: Wyatt Langford, Rangers
Gardner: Wyatt Langford, Rangers
Boeck: Junior Caminero, Rays
Yomtov: Wyatt Langford, Rangers
Borelli: Wyatt Langford, Rangers
NL MVP predictions
Nightengale: Bryce Harper, Phillies
Lacques: Austin Riley, Braves
Gardner: Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres
Boeck: Fernando Tatis Jr., Padres
Yomtov: Bryce Harper, Phillies
Borelli: Bryce Harper, Phillies
NL Cy Young predictions
Nightengale: Tyler Glasnow, Dodgers
Lacques: Logan Webb, Giants
Gardner: Zack Wheeler, Phillies
Boeck: Spencer Strider, Braves
Yomtov: Max Fried, Braves
Borelli: Spencer Strider, Braves
NL Rookie of the Year predictions
Nightengale: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers
Lacques: Kyle Harrison, Giants
Gardner: Jackson Merrill, Padres
Boeck: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers
Yomtov: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Dodgers
Borelli: Jung Hoo Lee, Giants
